Abstract
AIM: Xerostomia and hyposalivation represent a global health burden, affecting a considerable proportion of adults worldwide. This study explored the trends of the scientific production on xerostomia and hyposalivation in the dental literature using the Scopus database.
METHODOLOGY: Records related to the topic of xerostomia/hyposalivation, published since inception up to December 31, 2024, were searched on May 5, 2025 in Scopus, using the following search terms: "xerostomia," "hyposalivation," "dry mouth," "salivary hypofunction," "salivary dysfunction." The following categories were considered: Keywords, documents published on this topic; contributing authors, contributing countries, and contributing organizations; and authors, references, and sources cited. The bibliometric analyses were performed using the Biblioshiny app and VOS Viewer.
RESULTS: A total of 3,401 documents were published in 232 dental journals, representing 7% of the total publications in all fields and journals. Of these, 2,875 (84.5%) were original articles, and 526 (15.5%) were reviews. These documents were cited 1,00,949 times, with an average of 32.46 citations per document. There were 11,532 authors, the majority of whom were from the developed world. The top journal was "Oral Diseases," with 224 documents, followed by "Oral Oncology," with 177 documents. In terms of research impact, "Journal of Dental Research" ranked first with 56.09 citations per document, followed by "Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology" with 51.27. Epstein JB and Scully C were the most prolific authors with 37 and 34 articles each, respectively.
CONCLUSION: The present study reveals a notable shortage in impactful original research on xerostomia/hyposalivation and highlights selective citation from dental journals.
CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Xerostomia and hyposalivation represent a symptom and a sign, respectively, of many oral and systemic diseases. Hence, assessment of the relevant scientific production may help highlighting whether the topic received what it deserves or a shortage is still there. How to cite this article: Halboub E. A Bibliometric Analysis of Dental Research on Xerostomia and Hyposalivation. J Contemp Dent Pract 2025;26(6):615-622.